For some reason, it seems like efficiency and precision are a key part of Japanese culture. We see it in the way they operate the shinkansen, their manufacturing techniques, and the way they build their cars. When the world had its oil crisis, Japanese car manufacturers found a way to build performance cars despite not having big, gas-guzzling engines, relying solely on their clever ingenuity and great craftsmanship.
However, it's not as if they don't know how to produce power. Over the years, Japanese car manufacturers have managed to squeeze out big amounts of horsepower from small packages, like Honda did with the S2000's F20C engine. Furthermore, it seems like they've over-engineered their engines to the point that they could handle greater amounts of power while remaining reliable enough not to break down, giving their cars huge tuning potential. With that being said, these are some examples of JDM cars that rolled off the production line with the most powerful engines ever built.
10 Nissan GT-R Nismo - 600 HP
It's amazing how the Nissan GT-R could still keep up with today's supercars, considering there have only been minimal updates to the car since 2007. And to Nissan's credit, the GT-R Nismo is still is one of the most powerful Japanese sports cars today.
With 600 hp from its twin-turbo 3.8-liter V6 engine called the VR38DETT, the GT-R Nismo has been beefed up using motorsport-derived performance parts, which further contributes to its longevity as being one of the top choices for track-focused sports cars.
9 Acura NSX Type S - 600 HP
It's only been 7 years since the second-generation Acura NSX was revealed as a hybrid supercar, but now, the nameplate will be given a proper send-off with the ultimate Type S version.
Acura only made 350 examples of the NSX Type S, which was fitted with the turbochargers used by the NSX GT3 Evo race car to boost power to 600 hp, equalling the supercar-slaying Nissan GT-R Nismo in the process.
8 Toyota GT-One Road Car - 600 HP
Today, Toyota is developing the GR Super Sport as a Le Mans prototype-based hybrid hypercar, but it's not the first time the Japanese auto giant has done a road-going version of their LMP race car.
Back in 1998, they built two examples of the Toyota GT-One road car, a street-legal version of the TS020 Le Mans prototype to satisfy GT1 rules. As a result, the car had 600 hp from its 3.6-liter twin-turbo V6 engine, which was essentially the same engine used by Toyota in the 1998 and 1999 24 Hours of Le Mans.
7 Lexus LFA Nürburgring Edition - 563 HP
Lexus only built 500 examples of the once-in-a-lifetime LFA supercar from 2010 to 2012, and 64 of those came in the form of the competition-focused Nürburgring Edition model.
As it stands, with 563 hp, the LFA Nürburgring Edition has 10 more horsepower than the standard LFA from its sweet-sounding 4.8-liter V10. It was made to realize the supercar's potential if Lexus leaned more on performance over luxury.
6 Nissan R390 Road Car - 550 HP
Similar to the Toyota GT-One road car, the Nissan R390 was also based from a GT1 prototype. But whereas Toyota made two examples of the GT-One, Nissan only built a single road-going version.
The car never went on sale and was stored in the Nissan Heritage Collection in Zama, Japan. But back when it was tested, according to Hemmings, the car had 550 hp from its 3.5-liter twin-turbo V8 engine, and could go from 0 to 60 mph in under 4 seconds, with a top speed of 220 mph.
5 Tommykaira ZZII - 542 HP
Here's another car with a Nissan heart that never actually reached production, and we're left wondering about its huge potential as a mid-engined supercar.
The Tommykaira ZZII was revealed back at the 2002 Tokyo Motor Show powered by a stroked 2.7-liter RB26DETT engine from the Skyline GT-R which produced 542 hp, and also utilized Nissan's ATTESA E-TS all-wheel-drive system.
4 Nissan Skyline GT-R Z-Tune - 493 HP
For the R34 Skyline's final hurrah back in 2002, Nismo gave it a fond farewell with the 19-unit only Skyline GT-R Z-Tune, which was essentially handmade and built from the ground up to become an ultimate supercar of its time.
Basically, Nismo applied all the lessons they've learned from their Le Mans GT2 and GT500 racing experiences to make the Z-Tune's 2.8-liter RB26DETT engine, which produced 493 hp and 398 lb-ft of torque, and revved all the way to 8,000 rpm.
3 Lexus RC F - 475 HP
The RC F is the high-performance version of Lexus' RC compact luxury coupe, and currently shares the top spot with the LC500 in being the most powerful Lexus on sale today.
It has a 5.0-liter naturally-aspirated V8 engine that produces 475 hp, and once you opt for the performance package, you get a track-focused RC F that's 180 lbs lighter than the standard model.
2 Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X FQ-440 MR - 440 HP
To celebrate the Lancer's 40th anniversary in Great Britain, Mitsubishi built only 40 examples of the ultimate Lancer Evo back in 2015, the FQ-440 MR. Back when it was new, the car cost around $70,000 and was only available in Frost White color.
As the badge suggests, the Evo's 2.0-liter, four-cylinder, turbocharged engine called the 4B11 has been retuned and beefed up to produce 440 hp.
1 Yamaha OX99-11 - 400 HP
Only budget disputes prevented the Yamaha OX99-11 from reaching production, and it would have been bonkers to see just how the F1-engined supercar could have performed.
Thanks to Yamaha's F1 program back in 1989, the OX99-11 had a 3.5-liter V12 engine which was detuned to produce 400 hp, and screamed up to 10,000 rpm. However, with an $800,000 projected sticker price, plus the added burden of the world financial crisis at the time, Yamaha and Ypsilon eventually pulled the plug on the OX99 project.